


For Love

by TheTurtleFromHell



Category: Blood of Zeus (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, M/M, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:34:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27503131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTurtleFromHell/pseuds/TheTurtleFromHell
Summary: The story of Apollo and Hyacinthus, and how the love between them was strong enough to conquer an untimely death.
Relationships: Apollo/Hyacinthus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Hera/Zeus (Blood of Zeus)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 149





	For Love

It was a peaceful night on Earth, not a cloud in the starry sky. In a grassy field under a tree sat two lovers as the sound of Apollo’s lyre filling the air, although not with the usual beautiful tunes he would play. Instead the lyre was held by his human lover, who hesitantly plucked strings as he tried to play the song the sun god had taught him, wincing each time he hit a sour note.

“You’re doing better.” Apollo assured with his usual radiant smile, brushing a strand of golden hair behind his ear.

Hyacinthus looked up with a blush tinging his tan cheeks, his walnut hair blowing in the wind, “You’re only saying that to be nice.” he half-laughs half scoffs.

“Nonsense,” he chides in a tone light as silk as he wraps an arm around him, “Look around you, this time you managed not to scare off the birds with your playing.”

The mortal laughs, “You’re such a jerk.” he says as he playfully punches him in the arm. 

Apollo chuckles and pulls him into his arms, pressing a kiss to his temple, “Admit it, you love that about me.”

“Perhaps.” he smiles coyly, shutting his eyes and Apollo strokes his head lovingly. 

Despite being together for a year, Hyancinthus swore that every time the sun god placed his hand on his to teach him out to hold a bow and arrow, every time he pressed himself against the others back as he reached over to point at a music notes and every time they kissed until they were breathless it was always like it was the first time when he could have sworn he had died and gone to Elysium. For the sun god, it was the same. Their lover’s trouble was always lent a listening ear, be Hyacinthus’ latest argument with his father or concern over his duties as a prince, or Apollo complaining about the way his own father ran things or a disagreement between him and another god. Most of the time though, they just talked about their days. 

They were a perfect couple, a being of heaven and a being of earth finding completion in their significant other.

“It’s a good night to play a game or something,” Apollo mused out loud, tearing the human from his thoughts, “Let’s play a game of quoit.”

“But I have no idea how to play.” he bemoans dramatically, holding the back of his hand to his forehead.

“Then I’ll just have to teach you!” he declares as he stands, pulling the human up with him effortlessly.

Hyacinth laughs and shakes his head as he watches Apollo run over to his chariots to fetch the discus, “But don’t gods have more important matters to attend to than fun and games?”

“None more important than you, my love.” he replied as he returned with the discus and kissed his cheek, “Now, here are the rules…”

* * *

“I can’t believe it.” Zephyrus fumed from where he sat in his quarters atop the clouds, arms folded over his chest as he watched the stupidly perfect couple play their game, “I can’t believe this has happened.”

“And yet it has.” Boreas replies without looking up from his scroll, “Come now, it’s been a year. Can’t you get over it?”

“No, and I refuse to!” the West wind scowled, “Five years, five years we tried to court him and he turned us down every day claiming to be too busy with royal duties, then Apollo shows up and suddenly he has all the time in the world!”

“Apollo does seem to have that effect on people.” the North wind said thoughtfully.

“I bet it’s because he’s prettier than us.” he sulked.

“Then be happy you didn’t end up with such a shallow human.” Boreas said, patting his brother’s shoulder assuringly, “Listen, there are literally 13 million other humans on this planet, 800 thousand of them just in Greece. Surely you’ll be able to find another one you care for. If you’ll excuse me then, I’ll be on my way. Make sure you haven’t turned green with envy by the time I’ve come back.” he teases, pausing to take an apple from a bowl and watch as a raven landed in one of the windows, before heading out.

But it wasn’t just about that for Zephyrus. It was the heartbreak he felt each time Hyacinthus gave away his presents to the closest servant just to be rid of them, each time he rolled his eyes and turned away after the wind deity spilled his heart out to him and threw away his love letters like trash. Not to mention the time when he had tried to serenade the prince, who responded by throwing a jar at his head and slamming his window shut.

And to have Apollo show up, to steal the heart of the one he sought after for so long in a matter of minutes turned it from an issue of heartbreak to one of wounded pride. The sun god hadn’t even had any business with the human, the only reason he had gone to see him was because he heard about the brothers fawning over him! It should be him down there, not that bastard god!

As he was left alone to watch the couple frolic, he decided he needed to make a stand.

If he couldn’t have Hyacinthus,  _ nobody _ could.

* * *

“Just like that!” Apollo clapped as Hyacinthus landed the discus closer to the rock they had chosen as their post, the closest one of his throws by far, “You’re doing wonderfully!”

“All thanks to my teacher, who just happens to be very handsome as well.” he jests as he walks over and picks it up, “Still, I imagine it’s nothing compared to your throws.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve been matching up with my throws pretty well.” he asks, acting much too clueless

Hyacinthus smirked knowingly, “You’re holding back.” he says as he hands over the discus, “I can tell.”

Apollo blinks, then smiles and shrugs sheepishly, “Well it would hardly be fair if I used my full strength.”

“But I really want to see how far you can go! For me, my love? Please?”

“Alright, alright.” he chuckles, “Just a little bit of my strength, otherwise the discus will go straight through that mountain and carve out a new cave.”

Taking a few steps back Apollo took a deep breath, winding his arm back and throwing harder than he did before. The discus whistled as it flew through the air, flying across the valley with great speed. Hyacinthus' eyes lit up as he gasped in amazement and began running, following the path it took so that it wouldn’t disappear from view.

Suddenly there was a harsh wind, one that howled as it ran through the valley and threw the discus off track, causing it to go straight towards the ground. It collided with a rock, creating sparks as it bounced off and headed right for the human’s head as Apollo could do nothing but watch.

There was a sickening crack that echoed through the field as his skull split open, one that filled the sun god with more horror than he ever felt before.

“ **_Hyacinthus!_ ** ” he cried out, rushing to his beloved and catching him before he hit the ground. The human’s eyes were wide open, his bloodied face frozen in a shocked expression. The human was still, too still.

“No,” Apollo whispers in disbelief, “ _ Nonononono- _ ” he murmurs as he lays his hand over the wound, trying in vain to heal it. However, dead flesh is beyond the reaches of his powers. His heart sinks impossibly deeper into the depths of despair.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise!” Apollo chokes on a sob as he grabs the waterskin full of Ambrosia that had been hanging on his hip, “I’m going to fix this Hyacinthus, I’m begging you just don’t leave me!”

It had been meant for replenishing himself, but in his panic it’s the only thing he can think of that could possibly bring back the love of his life. He pulled the cork out with his teeth, spitting it aside as he poured the essence of the gods down the human’s throat.

But nothing happened. There was no movement, no sound other than the sound of the sun god’s own sobs as he dropped the empty flask.

“No…” he whimpered as he held a shaking hand to his mouth. Hyacinthus was gone. His one and true love, his flower, his best friend was gone by his own hand.

His wails of despair echoed relentlessly throughout the valley. 

So blinded was he by his tears that when they fell into the growing puddle of the mortal’s blood, he failed to see the flowers blooming from it.

* * *

Something was wrong. Everyone in Olympus could sense it, but no one could say exactly what was causing the feeling.

It was the same on Earth for the musicians had picked up their instruments only to find they made no sound, the poets sat at their desks uninspired, batches of medicine were coming out wrong, and hunters suddenly found their arrows missing every shot.

Almost immediately Olympus was flooded with prayers and offerings, leaving the gods and deities scrambling to figure out what was wrong.

Indeed, a tense and dreary atmosphere had settled over every realm...

* * *

Hours were but seconds to a god. Apollo’s grief was still fresh, a deep wound which sent shockwaves of pain throughout his very soul.

He didn’t even react when there was a familiar swift wind that blew through the meadow, causing the flowers which now surrounded the two to sway with it.

“Apollo?” Hermes said in surprise, “What are you- Oh, oh dear...” his voice trailed off as he saw the mortal corpse in his brother's arms, knowing immediately who it was by the way the sun god cradled him so lovingly, even though he had only heard of him.

Apollo doesn’t dare look up as he speaks in a voice so small it is nearly not there, “It… it was an accident…The wind changed after I threw it, I didn’t mean to… I would never even think of hurting…”

“Of course not,” the messenger god assured his brother, “The things happen, and nobody but the Fates ever see it coming.”

Apollo whimpered as he hugged the body tighter, unable to even think about letting go. Suddenly, Hyacinthus’ body began to glow with a soft blue light as his soul emerged from his chest. The sun god looked up in time to see his brother’s hand reaching for the soul, just a few inches shy of actually grabbing in.

In a fit of anger so strong only heartbreak could cause it, Apollo summoned a fireball to his hand and threw it right into his brother, the force of the blast sending him crashing into the tree the lovers had been sitting under mere hours ago.

Hermes shouted in a mix of surprise and pain as he hit the tree, scrambling back up to his feet as he shouted “Apollo, what are you doing!?”

“Don’t you dare take him from me!” he shouted as he summoned more fire to his hand, his face twisted in rage as tears ran down his cheeks, “He’s mine! Nobody gets to take him from me!”

“You’re being completely unreasonable!” he tried to reason, “You must understand that-”

“No, no!” the heartbroken god shook his head furiously, “The only way you will take him is when my soul will follow his! Until then, neither he nor I are leaving this place!”

The way Apollo shouts it without conviction makes Hermes understand that the declaration is not an empty one. He has no doubt that if he tried to take the human’s soul again, Apollo would force him to end his life. He needs help with this, and fast.

He sped away, heading straight for Olympus. As he ran, he noticed something startling... 

The sunrise should have been here by now, but darkness remained.

* * *

When the sun failed to rise, everyone finally managed to put the pieces together and rushed to the throne room. 

“The crops are going to die if he continues this!” Demeter called out.

“How are the soldiers praying to me supposed to win a battle in the dark!? Ares’s voice boomed.

“All parties and performances have been put on hold! How am I supposed to keep up my drinking mood like this!?” Dionysus drunkenly complained.

“Everyone calm down!” Zeus yelled from his throne, trying desperately to keep some sort of calm in the chaos, “I’ve sent scouts to look for him, I assure you this will be sorted out in no time!”

“No time? It’s already been five hours, this is taking too long!” Ares argued, the other gods shouting their agreements with him.

The god of thunder sighed, slumping in his chair as Hera sat beside him (looking pleased about her husband’s son causing him all this trouble with eyes that practically scream ‘Serves you right”)

Suddenly the sound of running footsteps echoed through the hall, and the god barely got out of the way in time as Hermes sped right up to the front of the crowd, “Father! It’s Apollo-”

“Yes yes, I know it’s Apollo!” Zeus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Just let me figure where he is and I’ll be sure to thrash him from one end of Olympus to the other for this trouble!”

“Father I know where he is!”

The king stopped in his tracks, turning to face his son.

“Take me to him.”

* * *

Zeus stopped at the edge of the meadow, now completely covered by the strange flowers of varying hues and colors. He plucked one of them, holding it between his fingers as he regarded the odd yet beautiful plant.

But the mysterious flowers could be dealt with later on, for now he had his son to deal with.

“Apollo.” he said as he walked up to the spot his son hadn’t budged from, “Hermes has explained to me what happened. I am very sorry, but your grief should not prevent you from your duties. Look,” he pulls two coins stamped with eagles and lightning from his pocket, “These will guarantee him entry into Elysium, I promise. Place them over his eyes so that he may move on, and-”

“No.” Apollo said firmly, “I don’t care, I don’t care about that anymore. What’s the point of raising the sun if he cannot enjoy it? Why should there be music and poetry if he cannot listen to it? Why should there be medicine if it cannot heal him, if it only prolongs the inevitable.”

“Because there are people other than him who depend on it, Apollo.” he answers with dwindling patience, “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

The sun god shook his head, remaining steadfast in his decision. It was then Zeus noticed something off about his appearance.

His hair had dulled significantly since the last time he saw him, his skin paler and dark circles sitting under his eyes. Such an appearance was almost unheard of for a god, unless...

Zeus’ eyes widened in realization, “How long has it been since you last drank Ambrosia?” he asked fretfully.

“A week,” Apollo answered, “And I won’t drink it ever again. I want to die.”

“Oh Apollo,” he sighed, smoothing back his hair, “Come now, you don’t mean that-”

“I do!” the sun god snapped, anger flaring in his teary eyes, “I loved him more than anyone else I’ve ever loved! Our love was deep and true, and now… now…” his voice trailed off, dropping to a whisper as he lowered his head to the corpse’s chest, “If the only way to be with him now is to follow him to the underworld, then I will be faithful to him and do it.”

Zeus sighed and crossed his arms. Of course, he could forcibly bring Apollo back to Olympus, make him drink ambrosia and have Hermes ferry the human’s soul against his will, but he couldn’t force Apollo to resume his duties, especially since the sun god would only have more reason to refuse to do them.

He looked at the mortal’s body in thought, before sighing, “Alright, I don’t like making this known but there is a way you can resurrect him.”

Apollo’s head snapped up in surprise, tears still running down his cheeks as he stuttered “Wh-what?”

“It is possible to make a human immortal, but it is not something to be taken lightly.” he explains, as he kneels, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder, “To do so you would have to bind his soul to your own, thus sharing your immortality with him. I warn you that there is no way to undo this, you will be bonded to each other for eternity and that if one of you dies the other will follow. And that is not even taking the stigma surrounding bringing an outsider into Olympus-”

“I don’t care!” Apollo sobbed, “Whatever it takes, I’ll do it! Just tell me how!”

“Stay still,” Zeus instructs as he raises his hands, blue electricity coursing through them. Apollo nods, taking a deep breath and shutting his eyes.

The god of thunder reaches into their chests, grabbing their souls and bringing them out. Apollo grunted in pain, slouching over as his soul was removed. Hermes gasped and nearly stepped forward to intervene, but stopped himself before he could.

Zeus’s eyes glowed blue as lightning surrounded him, sparks forming between the two souls until they solidified into a tether, connecting the two together. The link turned invisible as Zeus placed the souls back in their rightful vessels, concluding the ritual. 

As Apollo regains consciousness his attention immediately went to Hyacinthus, just as the wound on his head glows gold before the skin knits itself back together, leaving only a pink scar as evidence it was ever there. For a moment nothing else happens, and he fears the worse.

Then all of a sudden Hyacinthus coughed, opening his weary eyes, “Ungh, Apollo?” he groans, holding a hand to his head as he sits up, “What happened? Why does my head hurt?”

Apollo’s voice became stuck in his throat, coming out only as whimpers as he covered his mouth with his hands as if to hide the sound. Tears, this time of joy, began to run down his cheeks, much to the former human’s concern.

“Wait a second, what’s going on? Apollo, are you okay? Is everything alright?” he asks worriedly, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

The sun god responds by wrapping his arms around him tightly, smiling brightly as he sniffles, “I’m fine, everything is much better now.”

* * *

At last the sun rose, and all the gods could breathe a sigh of relief.

“About time.” Hera scoffs, “I wonder what all that was about.”

“Whatever it was, at least it’s over.” Ares says. He hears the sound of horse hooves clopping through the air, and looks up as Apollo flew over them as he came in for a landing. His eyes widened as he saw his brother had a passenger with him, one that was undoubtedly once mortal, “Um, mother?”

“Yes, what is it?” she speaks sharply, following his gaze. Her eyes (albeit a bit comedically) snapped open similarly to his as she saw Apollo helping the stranger out of his chariot.

The gods all gathered around, staring at the new guest with expressions ranging from curious to outright confused.

Hyacinthus, little overwhelmed and intimidated by the presence of such powerful beings, held Apollo’s hand tightly as he pressed himself to his side.

“Everyone, meet Hyacinthus!” he beamed, motioning to his lover who simply smiled shyly and waved.

There was a moment of awkward silence, stopped only when Artemis stepped forth, “So you’re the one my brother is always going on about?” she chuckles, holding out her hand, “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Please, the pleasure is all mine.” he nervously laughs.

As a majority of the gods step follow her lead and introduce themselves to the new deity, Zeus teleported into the balcony above them, smiling at the sight, “Well, all’s well that ends-”

“ZEUS!” Hera shouted as she stomped up to him, eyes glowing with fury.

The king cocked a brow in confusion, “What?”

“What on earth were you thinking, binding a mortal to a god!?” she hisses.

Zeus huffed and met her furious gaze with one of annoyment, “Everyone wanted the sun to come up, and now the sun is up. I don’t see what the problem is!”

“The problem is that this is a short term solution!” she throws her hands in the air, “Have you no concern for consequence? Are you seriously that short-sighed or are you legitimately that stupid, you-!

“Excuse me,” came a timid voice, “Are you Queen Hera?”

The gods both turned to find Hyacinthus standing at the top of the stairs, hands fidgeting anxiously as he watched them.

She looked the former mortal up and down before answering, “Yes, I am. What is it you want?”

“Nothing, my Queen.” Hyacinthus quickly assured as he approached them, “I just wanted to thank you and the King for welcoming me into your realm.” he pauses to get on his hands and knees, kneeling before them, “I am more grateful than words can express.”

Hera blinked, a little taken aback by the gesture. She glanced between her husband and him, before speaking “Of course, just… stay out of trouble, alright?”

“Of course, my Queen.” he promised just as Apollo came over, touching a hand to his back. Hyacintus looked up and smiled, standing up and leaning against him. The sun god wrapped an arm around him and gave Hera a thankful smile, before going on his way with his love.

“Well...?” Zeus prodded coyly.

“Well, at least the boy knows his place.” she concedes with a sigh, “But we will have to find a place for him, you know. He can’t just lounge about like this is a resort.”

“Of course not, love.” he nods, “How about we set him up as a tutelary deity then? It would be fitting to have him in charge of that field where he was reborn, and all we’d have to do is provide some visions to the local oracles and there will be a temple set up in no time.”

“Good heavens, imagine all the paperwork and meetings that will need to be done.” she laments, “I have a headache just thinking about it.”

Just then came the call of a raven. The queen looked up, smiling as one of her ravens flew to her and landed on her shoulder gracefully.

It cawed into her ear, causing Hera to raise a brow, “Oh really?”

“What? What’s he saying?” he asked.

“Apparently he overheard a certain jealous wind deity and his plan to murder a certain mortal who snuffed him, a certain deity named Zephyrus.” she hums, holding a hand to her chin, “I do wonder if this has anything to do with our newest deity.

Zeus groans and facepalms, “Well, I should probably punish him. Interfering in a mortal’s life to that degree out of pettiness is certainly a great offense.”

The queen cocked a brow, “Are you sure you’re doing out of concern for the law and not because said mortal happened to be the love of your son’s life?”

“As a king it would be wrong to have biases.” he says matter-of-factly, “However you must admit, the fact he did such a thing knowing he was dealing with  _ my _ son was awfully stupid of him.”

“Very.” she agrees, rising to her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, “Have fun punishing him, dear.”

“Of course love.” he says, kissing her chastely before disappearing in a burst of lightning.


End file.
